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Vertigo in Vehicles

Q.Is reading in a moving car bad for your health? Why do some people get carsick when they do?

A. “Reading in the car is not really bad for your health, although it can make you feel bad,” said Dr. Michael G. Stewart, chairman of the department of otorhinolaryngology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. “The issue is the disconnect between what your eyes see and your body feels, which can give you vertigo.”

Dr. Stewart defined vertigo as the sense of movement, of yourself or of your surroundings, when there is none.

Your balance center receives three inputs: visual input; the sense of position, called proprioception; and input from the inner ear, which measures acceleration and movement, Dr. Stewart said. “When any of those inputs is out of sync, then you feel vertiginous, or dizzy,” he said.

An example would be when a person with an ear infection gets a strong movement signal from the ear while the body and eyes perceive no motion.

“The problem with reading in the car is that your vision is fixed on an object that is not moving, but your body and inner ear perceive motion, so it can induce vertigo in some,” Dr. Stewart said. “The best cure is to regularly look up, and regain your visual perspective of motion, but even then, the action of focusing on the book while your body feels motion can briefly induce vertigo.”

“If you can read in the car without its bothering you, it’s O.K. to do,” Dr. Stewart said. “If you have a hard time, avoid it, or do it only for brief intervals, trying to keep your perspective on motion as much as possible.”

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